gorilla

noun

go·​ril·​la gə-ˈri-lə 

1

: a very large typically black-colored anthropoid ape (Gorilla gorilla) of equatorial Africa that has a stocky body with broad shoulders and long arms and is less erect and has smaller ears than the chimpanzee

2

a

: an ugly or brutal man

b

: thug, goon

Synonyms

• bully
• gangbanger
• gangsta
• gangster
• goon
• hood
• hoodlum
• hooligan
• mobster
• mug
• plug-ugly
• punk
• roughneck
• rowdy
• ruffian
• thug
• tough
• toughie
• toughy
• yob [British]
• yobbo [British]

Examples of gorilla in a Sentence

She hired some gorilla as her bodyguard.

the loan shark sent a couple of gorillas to “convince” him to pay up

Recent Examples on the Web

After a confident and charming pilot, the show wastes no time in getting weird — from psychic gorillas to time travel to a walking nuclear weapon (Firestorm). —EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025

While both Rwanda and Uganda offer soul-stirring encounters with gorillas and chimps, Rwanda has earned the most attention—and tourism dollars—to date. —Alexandra Owens, Robb Report, 23 Jan. 2025

But Nintendo is the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and as interesting as all of the PC gaming hardware is, the Switch’s imminent successor will almost certainly be a very compelling upgrade. —Jay Peters, The Verge, 9 Jan. 2025

Chimpanzees and gorillas have used sign language to express emotions and ask for things from people. —Leticia Fanucchi, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, plural, a tribe of hairy women mentioned in an account of a voyage around Africa

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gorilla

• lowland gorilla
• mountain gorilla
• 800-pound gorilla

Rhymes for gorilla

• axilla
• flotilla
• guerilla
• guerrilla
• manilla
• mantilla
• maxilla
• mesilla
• papilla
• priscilla
• scintilla
• sensilla

Kids Definition

gorilla

noun

go·​ril·​la gə-ˈril-ə 

: a typically black ape of equatorial Africa that is much larger but stands less erect than the related chimpanzee

Etymology

derived from Greek Gorillai, a name used by ancient explorers for what they thought was a tribe of hairy women in Africa